BRUNSWICK – Bowdoin pitcher Gina Laugelli allowed one earned run in seven innings while striking out six as the Polar Bears posted an 8-4 college softball win over Colby on Wednesday. Katie Sheridan had three hits for the Polar Bears while Jessie Mayol gave Bowdoin… Read More
    RAYMOND – The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, along with the town of Raymond, have taken action that will preserve a traditional boat access site to Sebago Lake for years to come. The agreement, which will tap into contributions of anglers and boaters to… Read More
    BLUE HILL — Proposals to expand the salmon farming industry in Blue Hill Bay have ebbed and flowed the past two years — and appear to be on the flood tide again. Erick Swanson, who last month gained a permit to raise 400,000 Atlantic salmon… Read More
    AUGUSTA — Budget negotiators for the King administration and Democratic legislative majorities said Wednesday that efforts to reach a compromise on what to do with a $350 million surplus had advanced and could produce an agreement soon. Major sticking points were said to include the… Read More
    LUBBOCK, Texas — A man convicted of killing his wife in Maine and suspected in the disappearance of two other women was indicted by a grand jury Wednesday on one count of aggravated robbery with a firearm and another count of aggravated robbery of a person over 65. Read More
    AUGUSTA — The day after the Legislature voted overwhelmingly to enact price controls on pharmaceutical drugs, Gov. Angus King was pondering his options. He said he is mindful of the strong sentiment for the bill, noting the vote of more than 2-to-1 in both legislative… Read More
    PORTLAND — Blethen Maine Newspapers and WMTW Broadcast Group have reached an agreement for their media outlets to collaborate on news coverage and online content. Blethen Maine is publisher of the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram, the Kennebec Journal in Augusta and the Morning Sentinel… Read More
    LINCOLN — The Maine Municipal Association’s Legislative Policy Committee later this month will reconsider its earlier support of Jonathan Carter’s forestry bill, according to an MMA official. This week, the Lincoln Town Council unanimously approved a resolution that opposes the bill and asks the MMA… Read More
    WILMINGTON, Del. — MBNA Corp.’s first-quarter net earnings rose to $234 million, up over profits of $186 million in the first quarter of 1999. MBNA has posted increasing profits, averaging 25 percent, in each of the 37 quarters since it became a public company. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
    ROCKLAND — Police Chief Alfred Ockenfels was placed on paid administrative leave Wednesday, pending the outcome of an investigation by the Attorney General’s Office centering on his alleged false testimony during a speeding trial. City Manager Tom Hall confirmed Wednesday that Ockenfels was placed on… Read More
    AUGUSTA — A juvenile justice expert who sharply criticized the Maine Youth Center last year believes the South Portland facility has since made “substantial progress” in several areas, according to Gov. Angus King. King released the follow-up report by Edward Loughran, a former juvenile corrections… Read More
    AUGUSTA — The Senate Wednesday decided against interjecting the Legislature into the sale of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Maine to Anthem Insurance Cos. of Indiana. A proposed joint resolution to ask the Blues to reconsider, and to ask the superintendent of insurance to… Read More
    PORTLAND — The online seafood exchange Gofish.com said Wednesday it has hired veteran industry executive John Cummings as its president and chief operating officer. Gofish.com, based in Portland, is a forum for transactions and news about the seafood industry. It also uses the company Seafax… Read More
    MILO — Workers at the Dexter Shoe manufacturing plant in Milo will keep their jobs two months longer than anticipated because of the large number of orders the company has received. Dexter Shoe officials announced in September that the Milo plant would close in six… Read More
    ORONO — Kindergarten registration will be held by appointment from 10 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Thursday, May 4, and from 8:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. Friday, May 5, at Asa C. Adams School, 10 Goodridge Drive. Children who will be age 5 on or before… Read More
    There really is something very special and very appealing about four-part harmony. If you don’t already know that, you have a chance to find out for yourself how grand those smooth, finely tuned voices do sound when they harmonize. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
    BANGOR — The New England Association of Schools and Colleges has granted institutional accreditation to Bangor Christian Schools until Oct. 1, 2009. Accreditation increases a school’s academic credibility among its peers. Carroll Conley, BCS principal, said, “This is the culmination of four years of hard… Read More
    The following local students have been named to the honor roll for the winter term at Northfield-Mount Hermon School in Northfield, Mass.: senior Rory Cowie of Old Town, high honors; postgraduate Clint Folsom of East Holden, honors. Northfield-Mount Hermon, an independent boarding school established in… Read More
    A Bangor man insisted that he wasn’t driving, just parking his car, when told he was being arrested for operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicants earlier this week. Scott Goody, 38, was charged with OUI, failure to submit to arrest and… Read More
    WINTER HARBOR — The proposed Schoodic Area League of Towns is at a standstill, at least in Winter Harbor. The league has been proposed to include a half-dozen towns from the Schoodic Peninsula as a way for each to use strength in numbers to gain… Read More
    Senior Matthew Eaton of Thomaston received high honors for the winter term at Northfield-Mount Hermon School in Northfield, Mass. Northfield-Mount Hermon, an independent boarding school established in 1879, educates 1,100 students each school year and another 400 in summer school. Students attend the school from… Read More
    CARIBOU — The calendar said mid-April, but it looked more like winter across parts of Maine on Wednesday. A winter storm warning was posted for northern Maine and accumulations of about 4 inches were recorded in the morning, said Mark Tuner of the National Weather… Read More
    Right now in Hollywood, the continuing struggle between art and commerce is having its biggest battle to date. With public tastes changing and more big-budget “blockbusters” becoming big-budget bombs, the dilemma is this: Should the film industry follow a trend established 10 years ago by… Read More
    Preschool, kindergarten and elementary-age children are invited to the Children’s Miracle Network’s second annual Easter Egg-O-Rama at Sprague’s Nursery on outer Union Street in Bangor from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 22. Rain or shine, festivities include an Easter treasure hunt, bunny hop… Read More
    One of the most respected Chicago Blues bands, Eddie Shaw and the Wolf Gang, will play from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, April 15 and 16, at Benjamin’s Tavern in Bangor. Cover charge is $5. Eddie Shaw, a singer-songwriter, musician, arranger and… Read More
    Paddling season is under way. Can you believe it? Seems like only last week I was stowing my canoe overhead in the garage. I haven’t even had time to drag it out again. Central and southern rivers are running free, and racers have been at… Read More
    A Page One story Wednesday about the arrest of James Hicks in Texas contained incorrect information. Hicks was arrested by Levelland police on a warrant filed earlier in Lubbock. He was transferred to the Lubbock County Jail. The Lubbock police detective quoted in the story spells his last… Read More
    The town formerly known as Madrid held its last official get-together Saturday. Having voted itself out of municipal existence last year, the purpose of this year’s gathering was to divvy up the late town’s estate — trucks, buildings and all the rest. A primary factor in Madrid’s vote… Read More
    Low-cost, high-purity heroin has come to northern Maine. Within the past 18 months, the law enforcement community has seen a dramatic increase in heroin use in Penobscot and Hancock counties. Abuse of prescription drugs, such as Oxycodone-Oxycontin, which are used for a “heroin-like high,” has also dramatically increased. Read More
    The key question lawmakers needed to ask when they were told by the pharmaceutical industry that “price controls do not work” is, “Do not work for whom?” Because for all the bluster about state and federal bills that seek lower drug prices for the public, negotiated prices are… Read More
    People have been in the news an awful lot lately. People, of course, tend to be the folks who get in the news, but most often it’s individuals in specific situations who get our attention: a brave little boy from Cuba; a big uninformed lunkhead or another in… Read More
    BANGOR — A Seboeis man, accused of molesting a young girl in Virginia, remained in Penobscot County Jail Wednesday after his arrest last week on a governor’s warrant from that state. Earl Nason, 75, was arrested April 6 on the warrant requesting his extradition to… Read More
    AUGUSTA — A scaled-back version of the state’s teacher fingerprinting law spurred a four-hour debate Wednesday in the Maine House that ended with a 77-71 vote favoring criminal background checks for new hires only. The narrow decision in the House followed a 25-7 vote on… Read More
    WASHINGTON — “Today’s HHS report confirms that pharmaceutical companies discriminate against seniors,” U.S. Rep. Tom Allen said Tuesday as the Department of Health and Human Services issued its long-awaited Report to the President: Prescription Drug Coverage, Spending, Utilization, and Prices. “The study shows that drug company rebates and… Read More
    Alternative medical therapies have become a multibillion-dollar business in the United States. Often these are obvious frauds devised by the unscrupulous to prey on the fears and hopes of the desperately ill. But in some cases, either because of apparently successful trials or the support of powerful backers,… Read More
    There definitely was something lacking in my gender training. Why else would I break out in hives while standing at the table in a yard goods store, being cross-examined by three interrogators on the other side who peer over the tops of their glasses at me and ask… Read More
    PORTLAND — A city councilor wants to legislate civility for members of the city’s public boards following a series of rancorous planning board meetings. Thomas V. Kane has proposed a code of conduct covering 13 public boards and a process for disciplining or removing board… Read More
    WASHINGTON — The House overwhelmingly passed one of the highest priorities for Northeast lawmakers Wednesday — creation of a regional heating oil reserve. Two months after skyrocketing heating oil prices swept through the Northeast, the House approved by a vote of 416-8 the creation of… Read More
    ELLSWORTH — A fifth-grade mock trial is planned today by Blue Hill Consolidated School pupils at Ellsworth District Court. Judge Bernard Staples will preside as the pupils argue State of Maine vs. Delphinia Rose Sweetpea. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
    BANGOR — The annual Kids Safety Fair, sponsored by Eastern Maine Medical Center, the Bangor Noon Kiwanis, the Bangor Police Department and Children’s Miracle Network, will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 22, at Bangor Auditorium. Children will learn about safety through… Read More
    BANGOR — The Bangor Garden Club will hold its annual spring plant sale from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday, May 20, at Paul Bunyan Park Bandstand. Perennials, herbs and houseplants will be on sale. Proceeds from the sale will benefit the following civic projects to… Read More
    BANGOR — The United Way of Eastern Maine’s Camp Bangor will hold a citywide cleanup at 8 a.m. Saturday, May 6. People are encouraged to clean up a park or public location near their home and then attend a free lunch in Pickering Square at noon. Read More
    BREWER — The audit report for the city’s most recently completed fiscal year was among the matters the City Council addressed Tuesday night. The audit for the fiscal year that began July 1, 1998, and ended last June had been the subject of intense interest… Read More
    CALAIS — The Maine Children’s Alliance says it will hand out information about child care and help for young families from 2 to 6 p.m. Friday at the Shop `n Save in Calais. It’s part of a public awareness campaign called Great Beginnings. Read More
    MILFORD — Officials here are taking a close look at the town books after apparent discrepancies in pending state audits resulted in the suspension of the town’s ability to issue hunting and fishing licenses and to register recreational vehicles. The Department of Inland Fisheries and… Read More
    PERRY — A federal agency has awarded more than $668,000 to the Pleasant Point Housing Authority for use in improving local housing. The money comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and is in the form of a block grant. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
    GOULDSBORO — A Gouldsboro woman has been recognized by Bowdoin College as an outstanding student employee. Claudia LaRocco, an English major at the Brunswick college, is a member of the Class of 2000 and the daughter of Kathleen and Richard LaRocco. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
    ELLSWORTH — Lynwood Winslow, a Republican candidate for the 2nd Congressional District seat held by Democrat John Baldacci, will address the Hancock County Republican Committee on Friday. The meeting will be at 7 p.m. at the White Birches restaurant. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
    BANGOR — U.S. Sen. Susan Collins will speak at the Junior League of Bangor’s April membership meeting to be held Tuesday, April 18, at the old Penobscot Theatre Building next to Merrill Merchants Bank on Main Street. Social hour begins at 6:30 p.m., with Collins… Read More
    CALAIS — The Marine Corps has a new Maine poster child. He is Tim McCadden, 35 years old and one of the corps’ oldest recruits. He also says he was the oldest shaved head to graduate from boot camp in the past 15 years. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
    BAR HARBOR — Eleven instructors and scores of rescue volunteers from around North America are expected in town this week for an international search and rescue dog symposium. Maine Search and Rescue Dogs and the Maine Warden Service will act as hosts of the conference,… Read More
    CASTINE — An engineer will head Maine Maritime Academy’s newly created Center for Technology Forecasting. Steven R. Walk, assistant professor of engineering and director of MMA’s Maritime-Aerospace Liaison Project, has used technology forecasting techniques in product development, strategic planning and private consultation. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
    I am responding to the story, “Bangor officer fires shots at dogs” (BDN, April 10). The Bangor Police Department has some cleaning up to do in the staff department. The officer claims the boxer “had every intention” of attacking him and then later in the article claims that… Read More
    After the energy crisis of the 1970s, our federal government should have devised a plan of action should we be held hostage again. One simple plan would be to make a “deal” with Mexico for them to be prepared to pump, on short notice, enough to “neutralize” OPEC. Read More
    Many people believe trucks do most of the damage to our roads and don’t pay their fair share of taxes. The opposite is true. The federal government charges a 12 percent sales tax on all heavy trucks and trailers. For a new tractor-trailer combination, that equals approximately $14,000. Read More
    When the Catholic Diocese of Portland announced its support for pro-homosexual legislation for Maine, I was both offended and curious. After some research, I’ve had time to gather my thoughts. A recent story reveals that AIDS among priests is four to 11 times more prevalent… Read More
    After reading about dwindling school attendance and too much homework in your April 3 paper, I decided to write. School classes are not challenging enough and students are losing interest in the classroom instruction. I am not blaming teachers. We send bright students to college… Read More
    Your March 28 article reported that HMO executives, faced with declining profits, asked the Legislature to make Maine’s rural hospitals more competitive. The core question is: Competitive for whose benefit? In a seemingly contradictory statement, they also suggested that some services now provided by rural hospitals should be… Read More
    As a psychiatrist, I am actuely aware of the mental health needs of Maine’s citizens. Although now retired to Hancock County, I continue to take interest in public policy issues, particularly at the State House. I am gravely concerned about the proposed purchase of Maine’s… Read More
    WATERVILLE — Rape Crisis Assistance and Prevention will hold volunteer advocate training in May. The 40-hour training program is required for volunteer advocates. The course is open to anyone 18 and older, and is approved for four continuing education credits from the University of Maine… Read More
    DOVER-FOXCROFT — Divorces granted in 13th District Court in Dover-Foxcroft recently were as follows: Ricky L. Beck of Guilford and Billie Jean Beck of Orono, irreconcilable marital differences, April 7. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var… Read More
    MOSCOW — Selectmen have rescheduled a special town meeting for a vote on a block grant application to improve the town’s water system. The special town meeting, originally set for tonight, will be held later this month to determine whether the town will vote to… Read More
    DEXTER — An anonymous donor has offered Dexter a “substantial” amount of money for the development of a community center. SAD 46 Superintendent Raymond Poulin confirmed Wednesday that an offer of funding had been made by an individual for such a project. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
    CORINNA — On Friday, Darryl Henderson will close the doors of his longtime pizza business on Corinna’s Main Street for the last time. Henderson’s Pizza is the last of the businesses on the street to close as the federal Environmental Protection Agency Superfund cleanup project… Read More
    FAIRFIELD — The agency that has managed Fairfield’s small-business loan fund for five years has lost the job. Councilors voted unanimously Wednesday night against renewing the town’s contract with the Kennebec Valley Council of Governments to oversee the $500,000 fund. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
    BINGHAM — Directors of The Forks Plantation school department, in a surprise announcement this week, broke off the mediation process for returning their pupils to SAD 13 schools this fall. Forks Agent Dale Doughty told SAD 13 Superintendent Gary Moore by phone and in a… Read More
    CORINNA — A new round of meetings and plan development has renewed interest in developing a multipurpose trail from Newport to Dover-Foxcroft on an abandoned railroad bed. Members of the Central Maine Trail Coalition began meeting again in January at the request of the Maine… Read More
    NEWPORT — Bid documents for the construction of a 10-lot industrial park in Newport were reviewed Wednesday at a special selectmen’s meeting. The review, shared with representatives of the Newport Water District and the Newport Sanitary District, will allow the project to move forward for… Read More
    SKOWHEGAN — Senior Spectrum will hold an introductory Cyber-Cafe at 8:30 a.m. Tuesdays, through May 8, at its Somerset Resource Center, 45 Leavitt St. The introduction to basics of computer use includes instruction on the desktop, the mouse, Windows, programs, and basic functions. Registration is… Read More
    JACKMAN — A Hartland contractor has submitted the lowest bid for renovation of the Forest Hills Consolidated School building, but SAD 12 directors want to review the project before making the award. The $659,000 bid by E.W. Littlefield and Sons Inc. for roofing, heating and… Read More
    CLINTON — Nomination papers are available at the town office for Board of Selectmen seats for one-year and three-year terms; one three-year term for the SAD 49 board of directors; library board of trustees for a three-year term; charter commission members, six seats for one year each; and… Read More
    FORT KENT — Former Maine Assistant Attorney General Stephen Wessler will lead a workshop session with faculty and staff at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 18, in Nowland Hall, the University of Maine at Fort Kent. The workshop will focus on issues relating to bias-motivated violence. Read More
    LIMESTONE — Florence Young of Limestone has announced her intention to run as a Republican candidate for state representative, District 148, Limestone. Young lists as issues of concern: a sound education system; affordable health care and prescription drugs; economic development, small business development and support… Read More
    PRESQUE ISLE — John Rensenbrink, founder of the Maine Green Party, will be the guest speaker for the next University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Distinguished Lecture Series at 8 p.m. Monday, April 17, in the Campus Center. The topic for his presentation is titled “The Technology Challenge:… Read More
    CARIBOU — John H. Sims Jr., director of the Veterans Affairs Medical and Regional Office Center at Togus and his staff will hold a town meeting for veterans at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 20, at the Lister-Knowlton VFW Post, Van Buren Road. Information on programs… Read More
    PRESQUE ISLE — Northern Maine Technical College will hold an open house from 9 to 4 p.m. Friday, April 14, for National Technical and Community College Month. The general public is invited to attend and participate in the free activities. Hourlong guided tours will depart… Read More
    PRESQUE ISLE — City officials have started the process of deciding where the cuts should be made in the new public safety building scheduled for construction this spring. The city’s building committee met for a lengthy session Tuesday night in an effort to find where… Read More
    PRESQUE ISLE — Dr. Ed Neal, director of the Center for Teaching at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, will lead a discussion on “Diversity and the College Curriculum” at 7 p.m. Monday, April 17, in the Allagash Room of the Campus Center, UMPI. Read More
    MADAWASKA — Walter Desrosier was not a happy man on Wednesday. He had lost a battle to initiate a property tax-appropriation freeze. Losing the battle was not what disturbed him the most, he said. It was the way the fight was lost, through what he… Read More
    BREWER — The Brewer Parks and Recreation Department has announced that it will hold two Easter egg hunts this year. The traditional egg hunt will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 22, at the Brewer Auditorium, for children ages 3-6. All children will receive free french fries from… Read More